Aftermath
by Kazuki Landen
Summary: *On hiatus* Rei is a drummer. At a pub the owner tries to hurt him, and Rei is shot. Kai helps him through the aftermath of the attack. Contains a small non-consensual scene.
1. Attack

Instead of revising, I've chosen to give you an update to this fic – re-grammar-ing and a new chapter. Love me and feed me reviews.

Disclaimer – do not own.

On with the story!

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Rei smiled as he stuck the note in the post office window. "Drummer available Monday to Friday, for pubs, shows, etc. £5.50 an hour," he read. "Perfect."

Several days later-

Ring ring Rei's mobile phone rang and he fished for it in his pocket. "Yep, Rei speaking, who is it?" he spoke into the handset.

"Peter Brackly, I run the Wolf and Lamb in Emerly. Are you the drummer?"

"Yes!"

"Are you free to come round the pub on Friday at seven o'clock?"

"Yeah, that's fine. What time will I finish? And how long beforehand can I come to set up?"

It'll probably go on until about one in the morning. Could you come and set up at six thirty?"

"Ok, I'll come along then. Bye" Rei switched off his phone, grinning. /Six hours! That's great… I'll be able to buy a new set of sticks at last/

- - - - - - -

Friday, six thirty-

Rei was wearing tight leather trousers that show off the lines of his muscles and a black denim jacket over a black T-shirt. His long raven hair was wound in a black cloth, decorated with the Chinese symbols for life and fire.

He climbed out of the taxi and handed the man the money. "Could you give me a hand with the kit?"

"Sure." Together the two of them moved all the cymbals and drums to the pub entrance.

"Thanks, mate." The slang expression was awkward on Rei's tongue, but the driver didn't notice.

As the other man turned back to the taxi, Rei began the task of taking the heavy drum kit inside, piece by piece.

"Ah good, you made it." A large, bald man stepped up to Rei. "Peter Brackly. We spoke on the phone?" He held out one large hand.

Rei turned with an easy smile. "Rei Kon." They shook hands. "Where should I put the kit?"

"In the corner by the bar. You need any help?"

"Yes, if you don't mind."

Seven o'clock-

Rei hit one of the cymbals for attention. "Any requests?"

A drunk yelled out, "Something fast, swee' thin'."

"You're the boss!" Rei struck up a beat with his foot on the base drum, then stared to tap on the largest cymbal. After a second, he added more and more of the drums, getting faster and faster until he was stretched to his limit, and the drunk and his gang were tapping their feet and laughing.

Rei finished the beat and called out, "Anyone else?"

Over the evening, Rei played so much, and so fast, that he was often panting for breath after each beat. After one such rhythm, Rei was flopped on his seat, breathing deeply so he could go on to the next song, when a large male body, stinking of beer and smoke, walked up to him and patted him on the knee. "Hey there. You're very pretty, you know that?"

Rei glared at him. "Not interested, go away and find someone who is."

The fat man turned to his companion, snickering. "Ooh, he's a spicy one, ain't he?!" He turned back to Rei. "Come on, pretty boy, aren't you just a little bit-"

"No. Go away." Rei spoke coldly, then looked pointedly back at his drum kit. He was afraid, but he didn't let it show in his voice, knowing that a single tremor would tell the man that he had an advantage.

The male in front of him snorted, then abruptly sobered. "You're being paid by my brother to work in his pub. That means that you have to do whatever he wants you to do until you leave." He turned to the bar, and yelled, "Hey, Pete! Don't he have to do what you tell him to do, as it's you who's payin' him?"

"Yeah, why, don't he wanna play with you?" The owner yelled back. Rei swallowed hard. This could turn nasty.

"Nah." He turned back to Rei. "See, now come give us a go"

Rei stood up, appalled and frightened at what this man might do to him. "Mr Brackly, I'm going now. As I didn't stay for the whole time you only owe me £18.00, could we settle that up please?"

"Fine. Come round through the bar, we can sort it out in the kitchen." Rei followed Peter, but unseen by him, the large man followed them.

Peter counted out the eighteen pounds and handed it to Rei. "Here you go. You're a very good player, you know."

"Thank you." Rei pulled out his mobile and turned to walk out of the door. However, the fat man from earlier stood in his way.

"This is Jim. You met him earlier, I think." Peter was still pleasant, but now had a strange smile on his face. "You wouldn't play with him then, so you have to do it now. Believe me, you should have just gone along with it then. This will hurt a lot more than any fawning you were going to get earlier"

Rei dropped into a combat stance as Jim approached him "Come any closer and I'll hurt you." Focusing all his attention on Jim, he didn't notice Peter sneaking up behind him until it was too late, and he was being held in a chokehold round his neck.

"Now you can go and play in Jim's room. You don't need to see to get there." Peter put one thick finger on a pressure point on the teenager's neck. "Bye bye." He pressed down hard, and Rei went out like a light.

- - - - - - - -

Jim's room- 

When Rei awoke, he had his hands tied behind him, and discovered that he was not even going to be shamed in private. Peter was going to watch as Rei was degraded forcefully. The teenager was dressed only in his trousers, but his chest and stomach muscles, tense as always, showed that he wouldn't go down without a fight.

Jim approached him. He was also dressed in only trousers, but his belly was way past his belt line. Rei trembled in fright at what was to come. Jim lay down next to Rei, who lashed out with his left foot. In a flash, Peter was there, aiming the barrel of a handgun, complete with silencer, at Rei's head. "Try that again and I will shoot you where you lie."

Rei bit hard on his lip to keep from whimpering in fear as Peter stepped back, into the shadows of the hallway.

Jim rolled over until he was facing Rei, who was staring, terrified at the ceiling. He started to trail kisses up the boy's neck. When Rei didn't respond, being frozen with fear, Jim bit down slightly on Rei's windpipe, leaving him gasping for breath.

"Don't be silly. Help me with this and you can go, but if you don't, it will take forever." Jim knelt up on top of the duvet covers, hooked one of his legs round one of Rei's, then pulled himself over the top of the boy's stomach and groin, until Rei could barely breathe, and the smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol was overpowering him.

Jim moved from sitting up to lying down on the teenager, and Rei went pale as he felt the man's trousers grow tense against his own body. Jim sat up again, annoyed at Rei. "You're no good. Shall I help you along?" Without waiting for an answer, he slapped Rei hard about the face. Rei moaned in pain, and Jim smiled in satisfaction.

He trailed his hands underneath himself to Rei's groin, then slowly pulled the zip of the boy's trousers down and slipped his hand inside, pulling Rei's trousers off slowly. He had to move off the boy to do that, and Rei breathed deeply to get the smell of the man out of his system. Jim slowly pulled off his own trousers, and then his underpants. Rei went even paler. (A/N – Oh crap, now I have to try and sort this out…It's _not_ going to have rape in it, I swear!)

As Jim approached him, there was a rustling outside the window. He twitched and snarled to Peter, "Check it." The other man walked over to it, still pointing the gun at Rei.

As he drew back the curtains, there was a smash and a bullet shot through the window just next to the man's face and buried itself in the roof. Peter flinched backwards, then regained his senses. He sprinted to the bed where Jim and Rei were lying, and roughly pulled the teenager off the bed. Holding the gun to the trembling boy's head, he yelled, "Shoot again and I'll blow his brains out!"

There was a rustle of bushes, and a man in police clothing approached the building. "Don't rush into anything you might regret later-"

"Shaddup!" the drunkard pushed the gun even harder to Rei's head, making the boy squeeze his eyes tightly shut and whimper slightly. Jim pulled his boxers on and walked over to them, then grabbed Rei on his shoulder in a painful hold that made the boy moan in pain. "Listen here. We're going to come out the back entrance, and you are going to put your guns away, and let us go past, or…" he turned and smirked at Rei, "he dies."

"Ok, we'll do that." The officer nodded curtly to his colleague. "Do as he says."

- - - - - - -

Five minutes later- 

The trio of males stepped out of the building. Jim was fully dressed now, though Rei had only his trousers on. Jim had Rei's arms twisted up behind his back, and the young teenager was bent forwards in a vain attempt to relieve himself of some of the pain. The police officer that had spoken to them earlier gestured to the guns by each officer's feet. "You are aware, of course, of the penalty that you will receive when you are arrested?"

"Shaddup!" Jim shoved Rei forwards, towards a dark red Cadillac. As they reached the car, Peter took the gun from Rei's head so he could open the door. That one moment was enough for Rei to twist himself away from Jim, kick the man in the shins and elbow him in the side of the head, and then turn to Peter, who was aiming the gun at him. "That, my little hostage, was a big mistake."

Peter stepped towards Rei, aiming the gun at the teenager's heart. Rei moved backwards, then fell over Jim, who was lying on the floor, unconscious from the blow Rei had given him. He shuffled backwards as Peter walked ever closer. "Please… don't…" Rei's face was beaded with sweat and as he hit a rubbish bin he went deathly pale. Peter had the gun at point blank range when a voice came from behind them.

"Drop the gun or we'll shoot you." The voice was that of the police officer.

Peter didn't flinch. "I don't care. He is going to die!" He shouted, grinning maniacally at Rei.

Knowing that the only way he was going to get out of the situation was if he did something about it himself, Rei tensed his leg muscles and kicked out at Peter's ankles. The man went down with a shout, and there was a great bang.

Rei felt a drop of something warm and wet trickle down his right arm from his shoulder, and then a wave of terrible, relentless pain followed its path. He was conscious just long enough to see his blood start to spill in a flood down his arm from the wound. He muttered, "Oh, crap," in a strangled voice, then sank into an unknowing sleep.

Peter, who had hit his head on something as he fell, was dragged to his feet, unconscious, and shoved into a police car.

One of the officers knelt down beside Rei. "Kid, can you hear me?" There was no response, and the officer shook his head. "God, he only looks about fifteen. We should take him to the hospital. It would take too long for the ambulance to get here."

One of the other officers, this one female, nodded. "I'll take him" She had kids of her own, and what this boy had gone through sickened her. She lifted him up and strode to the nearest car, commandeering the keys from the male about to climb inside. Rei's head fell back over her arm, and his ponytail fell with it. It reached nearly to the ground, and the glossy black hair revealed at the end waved gently in the breeze. The woman's eyes threatened to overflow with tears at the innocence of the young face, half-covered with untidy black bangs.

As she lay the boy on the back seat, she accidentally knocked his arm, and he let out a sob of pain that made her shudder and stroke his face with a gentle, shaking hand.

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Ok, that's probably not a good place to stop, but I'm bored, tired, hungry, and I have a new X-files book I want to read. So ciao for now.

Kazuki Landen.


	2. Rescue

I can't type very fast at the moment, as I cut my finger on a knife after sticking my hand in a box of cutlery, put the plaster on the wrong place, and now I can't bend it. Rawr. This took me ages. Be grateful (please?).

Disclaimer in chapter one.

Roll film!

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The prone body of a young teenager lay underneath plain hospital sheets, his deep black hair and clothes the only colours that stood out from the antiseptically clean white of the rest of the room. A nurse, young and pretty, gazed at him with awe – she had already heard his story.

As a doctor came in the door, she shook off her stupor and moved to Rei's side. She slipped her hand down to his left trouser pocket, where there was the bulge of a mobile phone. She took it out, and flipped through the menu of names. There were only four – Kai, Tyson, Mariah and Max. The nurse chose the top name. She made her way to the hospital entrance, then pressed the call button. The phone on the other end rang only once before being picked up. "If this is not Rei, Max, or Tyson, then get lost."

The nurse, good at talking to people in pain, found it hard to talk to someone who wasn't, and that sounded particularly grumpy anyway. "Er… I'm not any of those people, but it is about one of them"

The voice on the other end of the phone sighed impatiently as she paused, unsure of what to say. Well, what would you say? 'Hello, I'm afraid that one of your friends has been shot in an attempted rape, so sorry.' While she was racking her brains for something to say, the hard voice barked – "Well? What?!"

"A boy, we don't know his name yet. We got your number through his cell-phone. He was shot."

Kai drew breath sharply- in someone else less in control of their emotions it could have been called a gasp. "What does he look like?"

"Black hair, amber eyes-"

She was cut off sharply by Kai. "Rei! Where is he?"

"Domino General Hospital. Do you need directions?"

"No. I will be there in five minutes. Please wait outside the front entrance." The voice was calm now, all traces of panic gone.

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Four minutes later- 

A gleaming black motorcycle skidded to a halt, throwing up a wave of gravel. A leather clad figure climbed gracefully, though hurriedly, off the vehicle.

"Kai?"

"Yes. Where's Rei?"

"This way. He's in a private room."

Kai nodded and followed her, in silence, leaving his motorcycle on the gravel to one side of the hospital entrance.

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The pair of them strode into the ward, the nurse having to struggle to even keep abreast of Kai, who seemed to be breathing no harder than before, while she was working hard not to gasp for her breath. The older boy halted as he caught a glimpse of the padded, slightly blooded bandage wrapped tightly around the top of Rei's shoulder. "What happened?"

"There… he was attacked by two men. They tried to rape him, but the police had been alerted, and managed to stop them. Unfortunately, during his rescue, Rei was shot by one of the men. According to reports, he was very brave."

Kai closed his eyes briefly, composing his face. When he reopened them, he was perfectly in control, with no emotion showing. As he opened his hand, there were four small crescent shapes marks on his palm where he had clenched his fist. He took a plastic chair from the side of the room, placed it carefully by the bed, and sat down, every muscle in his body tensing and releasing in shivers.

The nurse looked away, and then left him to his thoughts and to the soft beeping of the machines. Kai appeared out of place in the hospital setting, but oddly he seemed to fit in with his friend. His aura of calm helped to soothe her feelings of concern for the other boy. He would be alright. This boy, strange and fierce and strong, would help him through it.

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You read it, now review it. Seriously, I'd appreciate it no end.

Thanks in advance. (Ha! Now you have to do it!)

Kazuki.


	3. Awakening

Disclaimer and rating as before.

I give my apologies for lack of knowledge regarding correct medical procedures. Also, just to reiterate – this is AU. So, Rei has no family – he's seventeen and lives on his own.

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When Rei awoke it was to soft beeping and whirring, and a smell of antiseptics. His right arm, and half his chest, was numb, but there was a dull, aching pain in his shoulder. A sound made him turn his head, to see a familiar face and chest sat on a chair next to his bed.

"K… Kai…?" That voice… it didn't sound like his own. The boy seated beside him jerked, and sat upright, dark eyes almost soft.

"Rei. How are you feeling?" That didn't exactly sound like Kai either, come to think of it.

"My shoulder hurts…" He blinked, staring up at the ceiling again, pointedly ignoring Kai's gaze. "Did what I think happen, happen?"

The older boy nodded, then sighed. "Sorry, Rei. The nurse told me… pretty much everything." He leant forwards, his eyes sorrowful. "Is there anything I can do?"

Biting his lip, Rei shook his head. "What happened to the guys that… the two guys?"

"They're in hospital, under arrest." As Rei's eyes flicked over to him in panic, Kai shook his head. _Foolish_, he told himself. "Not here. On the other side of town." Some measure of relief entered the pained eyes. "You want me to call the nurse? She can probably get you more happy juice, if you want it."

Rei gave him a small smile. "Thanks." There were a few moments of silence. "I figure I need as much happy juice as I can get."

A quick press of the call button had a short, pretty woman in a doctor's coat entering the room. "Is there a problem?"

Waving his left hand slightly, Rei caught her attention. "You're awake, excellent. There's a few things I need to run through with you." She moved to his bedside – Kai didn't move, and she scowled at him. "I need to stand here – this side of the bed. If you could please move?"

Without a word, Kai moved away. This woman obviously had his number.

With a quick wink at Rei, who smiled slightly, the woman continued. "I'm Lisa Eddison. Call me Lisa. I'm the doctor in charge of your case, so if you need anything don't hesitate to give that a buzz and I – or one of my nurses – will be here within seconds." She held up the call button and waved it in front of his eyes. Turning to Kai, she motioned to a large red button on the side of the bed, marked 'emergencies only'. "In an emergency, press this. It'll bring someone with a crash cart." A winning smile. "Hopefully we won't need that, it's just in case."

"This button here controls your morphine. Since you're over sixteen, you can be in charge of your own medication. If your shoulder starts hurting, this ups your morphine. Once it reaches a certain level it'll stop, and we monitor it anyway, so don't worry about over using it."

She pressed it once, and Rei felt muscles relax as the pain that had started to creep through his body subsided. "Got it?" He nodded.

"Bed controls are here. Don't be tempted to take the sling off or move it – if it starts to get uncomfortable, use the controls to sit upright for a while. You'll probably be a little groggy for the rest of the day, that's just the general anaesthetic wearing off. If you need the bathroom, call a nurse or have your friend help you. Don't try it on your own; you'll undo the surgeons' nice work on your shoulder. Okay, sweetie?"

Rei nodded. "Thank you."

"Okay then." She set her pale blue gaze on Kai. "Be nice. Don't get his blood pressure up, or he'll have issues with the stitching. You can have another three hours, then we have to clear you out for lunch time checks."

He scowled, but nodded.

With a final quick smile at Rei, she scrawled a quick note on the chart at the end of his bed and left in a clatter of black heels.

Letting his head thump gently back onto the pillow, Rei yawned widely, showing his teeth, and his eyes drooped shut. Kai didn't speak, and after a few moments Rei was snoring.

After half an hour or so, Kai rose gracefully to his feet. He strode from the room with a quick backwards glance to the pale figure on the hospital bed.

- - - - - - -

When Rei awoke again, he was alone, but as he lay in silence the door swung open. His eyes flicked nervously to scan the man, a tall, handsome man in surgeons green scrubs. "Rei Kon?"

A quick nod, very nervous. "I'm John Doherty, I'm the surgeon that did your surgery. I need to have a look to check it's not getting infected."

Rei blinked. "Alright, I guess." Without Kai here, the presence of the man was making him very nervous. He knew it was probably a bit silly, but after the evening's events he felt fully justified.

The man approached Rei slowly; obviously he had been warned about what had happened to him. "I need to look at your shoulder. Could you push the sheets down a little please?"

Rei slowly released the death grip he had unconsciously held on the sheets, and let them drop to his waist. "You probably shouldn't look at it. It's not too bad, but it can upset people sometimes." With a reassuring smile, the surgeon undid the sling and gently laid Rei's arm on his stomach. "That weakness should only last a couple of days. There was really very little muscle damage, considering what it was."

He pulled gently at the gauze patch, revealing a small round hole. "It looks fine. Your muscle is a little damaged, and we had to fix that, but there doesn't seem to be any sign of infection from the initial wound. I do good work." He covered it back up with the gauze.

Once the tape was reapplied, Rei turned his head back. "Done?"

"Done."

Bright golden eyes slowly opened, and he stared at the patch. "How long before it's healed?" He turned his intense gaze on Doherty.

"About a month before it looks healed, maybe two before it's back to its usual strength, as long as you keep up the physical therapy. You'll have to wear the sling for at least a month, as well." He retied the sling, then stepped back. "We take the morphine away after about three or four days. Sorry." He gave a sudden wide grin. "That's the first crap bit. PT's not fun either. But…" He shrugged. "It's gotta be done."

He patted Rei's ankle. "Hopefully the doctor or a nurse will do your checks – you'll only see me if there's a problem. Good luck."

"Yeah. Uh, thanks, you know?"

"Hey, it's not every day we get gun shot victims in here. You're my ticket to free lunches for a few days." Doherty gave a cheeky wink, then was gone.

As he opened the door, Kai slid inside. "They wouldn't let me stay."

"That's ok." Rei smiled slightly. "He was alright."

A wordless grunt from the older boy as he sat back in the chair. Rei's stomach rumbled in the silence, and Kai scowled – at his own thoughtlessness, rather than at Rei. "They left the jello. If you want anything else, I can go get some."

"Jello would be good, thanks." Rei felt a little awkward, fully aware that his friend knew exactly what had happened to him. He was trying hard not to think about it, but their conversation was stilted despite that.

Kai opened the pot of blue jello, which had been placed on the side, and handed it to Rei. There was a moment of confusion as the lack of a second useful arm proved a problem. "I'll hold the pot, you can spoon."

With a nod, Rei handed the pot back and took the spoon. A few spoonfuls later, it became apparent that Rei was too right-handed to cope with feeding himself. He pushed Kai's arm away and dropped the spoon on the sheets. "You know what, forget it. I'm not hungry enough to deal with this. I'll eat later."

Kai blew out a gust of air. "You have to eat eventually. It may as well be now."

"I don't want to eat now. Later." There was a hint of anger in Rei's voice that they both knew was completely disproportionate to the situation.

"Look, I'll feed you." Kai's face expressed understanding, concern and a little impatience, though very few people would have recognised it.

Hanging his head, Rei's cheeks turned a little pink. He nodded, and then looked back up at his friend, handing him the spoon.

"Here comes the aeroplane…"

He smiled slightly as his words dragged a bark of laughter out of the younger boy. Maybe Rei would come back from this easier than he had expected.

Kai could only hope that when the events in the pub finally sank in, he would be there by his friend's side.

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Comments and criticism appreciated.

More apologies for OOC words / actions.


	4. Resting

Disclaimer as before.

Thanks to all my reviewers, and apologies for the time it's taken.

For sparkleshadowcat, who finally got me moving. Thank you!

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A gun; a stench of sweat; an overwhelming sense of terror – he cried out, trying to struggle, but his hands were restrained and as he moved, pain shot through his body, radiating from his shoulder.

He cried out again, twisting his head away, tears of pain and fear leaking from his eyes. A hand on his arm made him flinch away with a sob, and it dragged him from his nightmare.

Opening his eyes, blinking away the tears, Rei focussed on a dark skinned, female face in front of him. "Sweetie, I'm Lisa. I'm a nurse. You were having a nightmare, I thought you'd want to wake up."

Nodding mutely, Rei cleared his throat then whispered, "Thank you."

The room was dark, lit only by the light coming through the door from the corridor. Rei could only see Lisa's white uniform and her teeth as she smiled reassuringly at him.

Lisa handed him a glass of water before he even had to ask, and he took a grateful sip before handing it back. "Thank you," he said again, louder this time, although his hands were shaking even more.

"I've got to carry on with my rounds now, but I'll keep an ear open for you." She patted his arm softly then left, shutting the door behind her.

Alone in the dark, Rei let the tears fall.

- - - - - - -

Twenty minutes later, someone pushed open the door and slid inside, clicking it shut behind them. Rei rubbed at his cheeks, and turned his head as nearly silent footsteps tracked across the floor. "Who's there?"

"Shh, it's only me." Kai. The older boy flicked on the bedside light. "Sorry, the nurses are around. Didn't want to get caught."

Rei blinked several times, then turned to look at Kai. "Where did you go?"

"Just for a walk." But his eyes flicked away, not meeting Rei's.

"Don't lie to me. You know I can tell." His voice was quiet but firm, and he reached out to hold Kai's wrist in a strong grip.

"The police station. Someone called me, told me… the guys who… they made bail and were released from hospital. About an hour ago."

Rei closed his eyes, releasing Kai's wrist as though he were no longer strong enough to hold it. "What did you do? You can't be arrested, I…" His voice cracked for a moment before he could speak again, "I need you here."

Pushing his friend gently over to the other side of the bed, Kai perched on the edge. "I won't be arrested. They'll never find out what happened. No bodies, no evidence, no crime." He shrugged. "The cops will just think it's another two assholes on the run from the law. Even if they don't, I've taken precautions."

Blinking slowly, Rei processed this. Generally opposed to revenge, and also to capital punishment, the young man supposed he could make an excuse. He looked up into his friend's eyes, and nodded slowly. "I'm glad," he whispered, holding Kai's hand with his own as though it was a lifeline.

Silence fell, and Kai mutely gripped Rei's hand between both of his, then brought it to his chest and held it close, letting the younger boy feel the steady beat of his heart.

He sighed, gave a brief, sad smile up at Kai, then let his eyes drift shut. Within seconds his hand was limp in Kai's grip, and the callused fingers gently guided his arm to the bed. Letting go with one hand, Kai held on tight with the other, vowing not to leave his friend alone even for a moment this night, the second of many bleak nights to come.

- - - - - - -

Rei awoke to a soft snuffling sound close to his ear, and a tight grip on his hand, and was momentarily terrified before he recognised the dark hair that had flopped onto his face. Kai.

He must have moved, as there was sudden movement from beside him and Kai sat upright. He squeezed his hand briefly then let go. "How are you feeling?"

Rei let a small smile slip though the mask – a mask he had carefully constructed to keep from screaming in remembered terror – and cleared his throat. "Better. Morphine kicked in not long ago, I think."

Kai snorted, not indelicately, and ruffled his hair, before looking embarrassed. "Jello?"

This drew only a groan from Rei, who raised an arm and put it over his eyes – which, Kai noticed, were suspiciously dilated. Apparently Rei's guess about the morphine had been correct.

"I'll see what I can do."

Scrambled eggs and toast went down very quickly – particularly Kai's portion, which included two slices of bacon. Apparently, he could be nice to people when he wanted to be, and had charmed the nurses into providing exactly what he wanted.

Rei ate most of his before pushing it away. At Kai questioning glance, he shook his head. "Still a little queasy. The anaesthetic must be slow wearing off."

"Sure you don't want any more?"

Looking away from the plate, Rei shook his head. "No more." To be honest, the sight of the food was now making him feel seriously ill.

"Fine." Kai shrugged, and switched the plate with his own, munching on the remaining half slice of toast and scooping up the eggs with a fork.

A knock on the door announced the arrival of a nurse, pretty and blonde, with a nametag that read 'Rachel Evans'. "Good morn- Oh. Hello, I'm afraid you're not supposed to be here. It's outside visiting hours."

Kai stood up slowly, unfolding his lean and muscular figure. "He needed me to stay." The silent threat from his body language and the faint note of pleading in his voice combined to sway the nurse, at least a little.

She frowned. "I'll see what I can do."

Rei held back a smile at her unconscious echo of Kai's earlier words, before whispering a thank you.

The nurse softened at the weakness in his voice. "That's alright, sweetie." She glanced back at Kai. "I'll clear it with the duty nurse."

He nodded, softening his posture and settling back on the bed. "Thank you, Rachel."

She was somewhat charmed by his use of her name – most people just called her 'nurse' – and by his obvious fondness for his friend. Checking on the IV drip leading into Rei's damaged arm, she nodded. "I'll be back in about an hour to change that for you."

Rachel left, as crimson eyes followed her from the room. Rei had collapsed back onto his pillow, already exhausted and feeling sleepy once again.

"You okay?" Kai glanced down at Rei as the door closed.

"Uh-huh." One golden eye opened. "Morphine's running out. My arm's hurting again."

The older boy snorted. "You'll get it when you need it, I'm sure."

There was silence again, and when Kai glanced down at his friend, he noticed the deep and steady breathing that signified sleep. He sighed, and brushed damp hair back from the pale face. "Dreamless sleep, Rei."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Feedback feeds the writer's soul. It's hungry.

Fortunately, chocolate isn't so hard to come by, so the rest of me doesn't suffer.

Kazuki.


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